Is this the way to Republic City?
by Jubarn1778
Summary: Travelling halfway across the world is harder than it sounds. Follow the young hotheaded Avatar and she takes her first steps as the Avatar, making friends, learning things and getting into trouble.


Final exam in an hour, are you ready?

Of course, you've been earth bending since you were 4. It came as easily as waterbending to you, father always joked that the avatar skipped a generation into the earth kingdom. Not that you aren't a waterbending master, not even a year before you gained that title facing two members of the white lotus at once, to the surprise of them all. Today will be the same, an easy victory and advancement to master, then at last you'll leave the compound and travel the world to master fire and air.

It's a thought that hasn't left your mind in years, trapped in the white lotus compound there hasn't ever been time for adventure and freedom. The avatar must train and be safe the order tells you. What do they know? Roku, Kyoshi, all the past avatars had come nowhere close to mastering two elements as quickly as you had. Aang was an exception, he was in a war and didn't repeat the same lessons weeks on end like you had to do, if you could only travel like Aang you'd have all the elements mastered just as quickly, faster even.

It's been decided, when you gain your earth mastery you're free to travel as the Avatar should. You're going to the Fire Nation first, firebending is close to earthbending, it won't be any trouble to learn. Every night this week you've stayed up imagining the journey, north across the ice on Naga to the true southern water tribe, from there a ship across to the Fire Nation. Another ship to the capital and from there you'll find your trainer. Aang was taught by Zuko, a Fire Nation prince, perhaps you'll have a similar trainer.

"Thirty minutes Avatar Korra", one of the younger members of the order comes before you to say. Though it should be a short test you begin to warm up anyway, in combat you try to be fast and to end it quickly, a pulled leg muscle would harm your grade when it slows you down. You go start the stretches you've been through hundreds of times, originally taught to you by the waterbending master Plo of the order, it's the best piece of advice you've been given, in his younger days he had never lost a duel, a feat you're also going to accomplish.

Finishing up you stand and begin to dress in the order's provided duelling outfit, designed to be easy to move in but still offering some protection. You don't like the look of it, too dorky and sleek, nothing like what a real warrior would wear. It's just another responsibility of the Avatar, you must look like a fool at least until you pass the exam. You walk outside your tent and head towards the duelling circle in the centre of the compound, all of them will be there to watch. You'll give them a good show, last year was quite a short and boring duel, using ice to protect yourself in a large ball only to smash it and overwhelm your opponents with the shielding of themselves from the shards. You tried to think a lot ahead of time about what your plan is for today, nothing so far fit, you'll just make it up on the fly as per usual, it hasn't failed so far.

Taking your place you observe the duelling pit for today, a large stone circle, the order's symbol built into the centre from Iron, two marble slightly raised platforms facing each other to indicate where the duellers will stand to begin. The crowd has gathered already, all of the order is here to watch, your parents are at the front of the crowd watching you with pride. Everyone in the compound apart from your family is a member of the order of the white lotus or working for them. Yet another reason to get out of here, the youngest person around here is in their mid 20's, you never had somebody to call a friend. Being the Avatar never gave you the opportunity.

Putting that thought aside you face your opponent as he takes his starting position, not a tall man but he's built like a rock, short and wide. He's wearing the same outfit as you of course, his stance is solid and his steps slow. If you had to guess you'd assume he was going to take a defensive position and try to tire you out. The grandmaster of the order walks into the circle and lays out the rules, you've heard it all before so only half listen in. It's the usual spiel, only earthbending, don't aim to injure and the winner is declared if the opponent surrenders or leaves the ring. You and your opponent then turn to the Grandmaster and bow.

The Grandmaster leaves the ring and turns back, "Begin."

You start rushing forward, bringing up two diagonal walls of rock for you to stand inside and run. Leaving the back exposed, it's not worth the effort as this'll only be a temporary shelter, just as you reach the centre you stop and wait. Unable to see your opponent you're forced to guess because of your own rock wall, instead you adjust your protective rock wall and encircle the central ring with the lotus' symbol. Not wanting to waste any time in finding him or exposing yourself to attacks you send the entire circular wall outwards, slowly expanding as it moves, it'll be easy to dodge or smash through but will force a movement otherwise he'll be pushed out. You stop and wait to make your next move, maintaining such a wall and it's movement is draining, you're going to finish up quickly before your opponent is able to overpower you. To your left part of the wall is broken apart, you start moving the nearby sections to wrap behind him and keep him locked down, using your foot you kick up a pillar of stone behind you, sending the outer ring of the iron lotus symbol skyward, it's still earthbending if you just use the earth to push metal is how you'll justify it. It now comes to you that this won't please any of the order's masters judging you, it won't hurt him if you've planned correctly. They can't get too mad, it's an impressive idea at least. The wall movements were a success, you've managed to distract the bender opposite, he's wasting his time halting the wall and keeping himself from being boxed in, to occupy him more you kick up two small spheres of stone and send them flying towards him. An easy to deal with threat as you planned, he raises a small wall in front of himself to stop them, he still hasn't noticed it coming.

Quickly you split his small wall vertically into two, rushing forward you turn them and send them at him, aimed to just miss him on either side. He's confused by this and doesn't even try to stop them, instead using the rubble of your initial wall to throw at you. You're running out of time so you just bend it out of your path even though it takes more effort than blocking, now for the finale.

The two half walls you set either side of him? Lowered to waist height, just in time for the lotus leaf to fall into place, right around your opponent, balancing on the half walls to stop him just stepping out of it. It's a little too wide to just trap him in but getting his arms up and out takes a few seconds after the surprise, seconds he doesn't have as you're already upon him. You raise a cube of stone behind him and sweep at his legs, he manages to jump over it so you instead shoot the cube upwards, knocking into the lotus symbol he's temporarily stuck in. He's now twirling, falling, flying out of the ring and unable to save himself. Luckily it's only snow to fall in else you'd be chastised for hurting him.

* * *

Now you take in the cheering, the lesser members of the order and your parents are thrilled, of course they would be, it's not every day they'd see the Avatar in action. The order masters on their viewing platform are as serious looking as always, you let them wait a minute as you walk to your parents to be congratulated by them and the adoring crowd.

"Congratulations sweetie, that was amazing. You've come so far so fast." Your mother still talks to you like you're a child, even going as far as to place her hand on your head. Well she used to, now she settles for your shoulder, has been doing for years after you hit your growth spurt and got too tall for the head treatment. Were it anyone else you'd be angry, but you can't shout at your mother no matter how much she treats you like a child.

"Good touch with the metalwork, smart thinking. Know yourself and know the enemy, any battle is guaranteed." Your father as usual compliments your fighting, he used to be a water bending duellist so he's always filling your head with quotes like this. He's taught you a few things, you'd not say it to him but you don't use most of it. For him duelling was a mind game, for you it's reactionary and thinking on the fly, leave the long planning to generals.

You thank them for their kind words and leave to speak with the order and at last gain your mastery in Earthbending. You remember the years of training you've endured as you climb the stairs up to the order masters, countless hours perfecting your stances and movements. Excited you take the steps two at once to quicken your pace and reach your reward. They're all looking at you, pleased for certain. Your technique was flawless and efficient, you're a perfect earthbender. As you approach the Grandmaster Kloon bows to you, and you to him.

"That was an impressive display young Avatar." he begins, "None of us here can doubt your mastery of Earth, and in such a short time too. Very Impressive." It takes you a few seconds to regain focus, you were too busy replaying his comment about your earthbending mastery, as you come to your sense you notice Kloon withdrawing a scroll from a box he was carrying. "This scroll came to us this morning, from the Airbending master Tenzin. He writes that he is unable to travel here because of troubles in Republic City and his wife being heavily pregnant. He asks you to begin your Airbending training here, he will come to teach you when he is able. We would agree with Tenzin on this, whilst you excel in Earthbending and Waterbending you are not yet in touch with the spiritual side that is so important to the basics of airbending. Arrangements will be made so you can stay here as long as necessary."

Stay here? You're done waiting around, you've mastered two elements already and they can't keep you in this prison any longer. You turn and storm off home, forgetting to say thank you to the masters and bow, maybe you forgot on purpose. They don't treat you with the respect the Avatar deserves, why should you treat them with respect? All they've done your whole life is coddle you and restrict you, you should be free to explore and help the world, you're the Avatar. It is your job. You hear somebody calling after you, you just choose to ignore who it is and what they're saying, you're so over this compound.

* * *

Back home you explain yourself to your parents and announce you're leaving, they're fine with it of course, they know how much you hate this place after hearing you complain for years on end about being stuck here. With some parting advice, help packing and food for the journey you hug your mother goodbye and shake your father's hand. You promise to write as soon as you arrive in Republic City and you promise to stay out of trouble on the journey there, the latter promise isn't exactly true and you think they know it too. You almost cry but hold it back, the Avatar doesn't cry.

In the stables you're talking to Naga about your journey plans as you pack the saddlebags he's wearing. You never noticed you were being watched until you're interrupted by a familiar voice.

"A nice night for an escape, isn't it?"

Katara. The wife of Avatar Aang, she's been watching you since you were first discovered to be the Avatar and has even taught you a few things in the years. The waterbending healing never really stuck with you, a lack of spirituality Katara reasoned. No longer the adventuring teenager of the stories the Katara you know is a quiet old woman, a wise and helpful one at that. You see her now at the stable door, holding a dim candle and watching you, waiting for your reply.

"I'm leaving here and you can't convince me to stay. I'm wasting my time here, I should be learning the elements and travelling the world by now." You easily explain your actions to Katara, fully confident in your reasoning and unwilling to be swayed.

"I more than most understand that young Avatar." You're about to interrupt and ask why she's here if not to stop but she raises a hand to quieten you as she continues. "When Aang was learning the elements he travelled to the corners of the world looking for the right masters. Only the Avatar knows who they need as a trainer, and sometimes the right person is the most unexpected. You will leave here tonight and begin your first steps as the Avatar, I know this. Not just that you will but you must, the Avatar needs to be known to the world to help heal it. You're not my Aang though, I don't suppose you'll have any trouble attracting attention where ever you go, probably too much. Hotheaded and reckless, quite the opposite of Aang but I know in time you'll grow into the Avatar you have to be for this world."

Katara has approached and placed a hand on your arm during her speech, you'd never admit it but it moved you a little. Actually being respected and understood is a great feeling. You wonder if the understanding comes from her link to your previous life but you don't know for sure. "If Avatar Aang's destiny was to end the war and unite the four nations what is my destiny? The war is over, there's no more fighting. There's peace" You felt compelled to ask about your previous life and your role as the Avatar, Katara is the closest thing to an expert you've ever met and also the only person in a hundred miles that doesn't think you're a dumb kid.

She takes a step back and thinks for a moment on her response, "Aang did stop the war and tried as hard as he could to unite the four nations but the war was long and bloody, some scars couldn't be healed by even him. He feared new conflicts between the nations, it is hard to forget 100 years of fighting. I believe your journey will be one of balance and keeping the nations and their people living in harmony." As she speaks you feel focused for once, freedom and a goal. In a day you've learned so much more about what it means to be the Avatar than you have in years of training from the Order. "I think you should leave now before somebody comes looking for you Korra. Remember what I've said and think on it for the journey ahead. Good luck, you have a lot to learn but I know you will find the way."

Katara gives one last glance back at you and Naga before she disappears around the corner and out of sight. After giving one last check of the saddle and bags you hoist yourself up onto Naga.

"Let's go boy, it's time to be the Avatar."

* * *

 **AN: I don't own The Legend of Korra or Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything related.**

 **The entire story will be in second person.**

 **Korra in this story has not learnt firebending yet.**

 **This fanfiction will follow Korra on a long journey to Republic City**

 **Leave a review of what you enjoyed and didn't, I'm new to this so there's probably plenty of mistakes I've made and lots to learn.**


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